Electric gear-shifting mechanism.



H. J. MURRAY. ELECTRIC GEAR SHIFTING MECHANISM. APPLICATION FILEDJULI/15. 1.914.

l ,26,263., Patented June 4, 191,8..

2 SHEETS-SHEET W/TNESSES l/WEA/TH H. J. MURRAY. ELECTRIC GEAR smFTlNGMECHANISM. APPLICATIGN FILED JULY 15. i914.

Patented June 4, 1918.

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Speeicationof Letters Patent.

v Application tiled July 15, 1914. Serial No. 551,063. e

Y To all 'whom t may concern.' v

` provide a` new and .improved form of'control ever which may be mountedin any suitable steering wheel of the vehicle.

trically controlled means for shifting thev transmission gears and forholdingV the same in their adjusted position. ,y Y

One of the main objects of my invention is to provide a mechanismwherein a reversible electric motor may be employedl to produce aplurality of gear changes both whenrunning in a forward and in a reversedirection, and which may be cut out when the change gear has beenshiftedk into intermeshed position.

A further object of the invention consists in providing means wherebythe shift rod controlling the changev gear may be locked in itsoperative position and held against acci? dental displacement. f

A further object of the invention is to position, as for example .on thetop of the Various other objects and advantages of y* the invention willbe in part obvious from' an inspection of the accompanying drawings andin part will be more fully-set forth 1 n the following particulardescription of vone form of mechanism embodying the invention, and theinvention also consists in cerf40 tain" new and novel features ofconstruc-4 tion and combination of `'parts hereinafter set forth andclaimed.

In the accompanying drawings o Figure 1 represents a plan 'view partly1n section of-my improved gear shiftlng mechanlsm.

Qf-Q of Fig. 1.

Fig; 31S a` diagrammatic view ofthe mechanism and electricalconnections.

Fig. 4C represents a plan view of the steering wheel. Y

Fig. 5 is a sectional view on the lines 5 5 of Fig. 4:. r Fig. 6 is anend view partly in section of the control lever.

Fig. 2 represents ,ausection on the lines The gear shift mechanism maybe mounted in any suitable location on the vehicle and is inclosedwithin a suitable casing 1 made in one or more partsl toV permit accessthereto. rlhe motor 2 has its field normally ,connected with a battery3, or other source of power through a snap switch-4f. vSaid .s motor isa reversible motor adapted to run either in a forward or reversedirection and themotorbshaft n5 is geared to a driving shaft 6 mountedwithin the casing. Said shaft is provided with ltwo pinions 7a and' 7bloosely mounted thereon and provided with clutch members or frictionsurfaces 8- on their inner and adjacent faces. Said pinions are spacedapart to admita shiftable clutch member 9 between them that is keyed tothe shaft in any Well-known man- -ner to permit movement thereof. Thesaid clutch member may be operated throughv a yoke 10 secured toorformed integral with a link 11 pivoted to the casing as at 12.

The clutch member is operated automatically by two magnets 14* and 14arranged on opposite sides of the link so that the,

Patented lune f1, 1918.

clutch member can. be thrown from one side to the other to)engage withthe gears 7 and 7b as one or the other of the magnets is'energized.Balanced springs 15 normally return the clutch to its non-operativeposition .after the magnets have been denergized.

The shift rods 16 arenormally in mesh with the pnions 7a and 7" and areoperatively connected Vwith the change speed gears (not shown). `Each ofsaid shift rods Vis provided on its inner face with a plurality ofcurved bearing surfaces 17 so positioned that one will be opposite theclutch member and preferably above the shaft 6 vwhen any gear controlledby said rod is in its operative or intermeshed position. 'A lockinggroove or notch 18 is provided in each bear-` ing surface adapted 'toreceive a locking bar 19 thatis muntedonthe yoke 10 of the clutch and isforced into the notch when said l notch and barv register with eachother and thus Ahold the` shift Arods against displacement.

' The supply of current Ito the motor and to the magnets is controlledby the control lever 2O that may be mounted as shown directly on 'top ofthe'steering wheel 'of the vehicle, al-

though it'is obvious that it may be located `inv any other desiredposition. ASaid lever comprises a universal joint 21 preferably formedby a ball and socket'gconnection ico whereby it may be shifted forwardvand back and to the right and the left. Two contact members 22, 23 areprovided foreach -position of the lever, one ofsaid contact membersbeing connected to the motor and the other being connected to themagnets 14a and 141. erably inclosed and the lever is protected andguided by a suitable cover 24 provided with slots for the lever, saidcover being secured to a base 25 that supports the contacts Vand thelever.

14al and 14h, if the control lever is moved from its neutral. positionto the position indicated in Fig. 3, then the current will'flow throughthe connections 26 and 27, causing the motor to rotate in its forwarddirection and the magnet 14 will be energized through the connections 28and 29, thus shifting the clutch member toward said magnet and causingthe shiftfrod to be actuated to give reverse speed. When the controllever" is thrown to the opposite position, then the direction of thecurrent through the armature of the motor will pass through theconnections 27, 26, thus causing the motorv to rotate in the oppositedirection, and giving first speed ahead. When the lever is shifted fromits neutral position to the rightas shown in Fig. 3, then the currentwill be caused to pass through the armature by the connections 26, 27 sothat the motor will rotate the same or reverse direction and magnet 141bis energized through the connectionsl 30, so that the clutch member isshifted toward lthe magnet 14b which gives second speed ahead. When,however, the control lever is shifted to the left in Fig. 4, then thedirection of the current through the armature of the motor is ahead andthe magnet 14bis energized, thus igiving third speed.

The contacts connecting the motor vand the magnets are preferablydisposed with relation to each other so that the magnets are l energizedfirst and then the motor is energized. These contacts are preferably soarranged also that the motor will be cut out automatically as the leveris moved toward l the end of its stroke,l but the magnets are "alwayskept in circuit to hold the shift rods in adjusted osition until thelever is moved to its neutra position. i

Preferably a cut out switch 32 is provided in the armaturetcircuit whichswitch may be of any conventional design and may be ,either manually'controlled or controlled automatically by the clutch or other mechanismall The contact members are preff of the vehicle (not shown) which cutsou l lpower to the armature when the clutch 1s t rown out. from themagnets the shift rods are immediately returned to their neutralposition by suitable means as the springs 34 mounted Ona stationary rod35 supported by the casing and bein@ connected with the shift rods inany suitable manner, as the lug or ear 35. Y

In operation, the control lever is moved to the desired position toclose the circuits which energize the magnets Vand cause the motor torotate in the predetermined direction that will give the desired changeof speed. Assuming the parts to be in the neutral position shown in Fig.1 and the switch -thrown to make the electric connections in- .net willact on the link 11 an'd act therethrough toy slide the shiftable clutchmembers toward the adjacent gear shifting rod 16 and operatively connectthe rotating shaft 6 with the said rod 16 through the engagement'of thefriction surfaces 8. At

` the same time the locking bar 19 is forced .into engagement with theinclined bearing surface 17 so that when the rod 16 has been shifted tobring the notch opposite the recess 18 the gears will be in mesh. Assoon as the gears are meshed, the operator continues the throw of thelever to the end of the. slot, which acts to break the connection withthe motor (see Fig. 5) lbutl continues the connection with theelectromagnet. This interrupts the motion of the motor but maintains theelectromagnets energized.

.The final movement of the rod 16 is to cause the incline 17 to wedge orcam the clutch member 9 out of engagement with the pinion 7 and thusbreak the frictional Aengagement between the motor driven shaft 6 andthe shift rod. As long as the magnet 14a When the power is cut offremains energized, the rod 16 will be locked in its shifted position dueto the holding of,

the1 latch 19 in the recess 18. As soonas the magnet is denergized byreturning the lever to its neutral position or by operation of theautomatic cut out, if the same is em.- ployed,.the shiftrod is returnedto its origf inal position by the springs 34.

" ,By means of this construction, I am enabled to provide a simple andcompact mech*- anism in which four differenti speeds, com- Yprisingthree forward speeds and one reverse speed, ma)7 b e obtalnedthrough` a single niotor coperatlng with suitable clutch mechai 'nism toutilize movement of the motor both in .forward and in reversedirections. Tlfe -clutchis automatically disconnected as soon asthechange gears are brought into the desired operative relation andfurther movement of the shift lever cuts out -the motor,

thus saving the current, .but even if the mo-- tor should be permittedto continue in operation, no harmful result could occur except 'needlesswaste of current. v

While I have shownand described and .have pointed out in the annexedclaims certain novel features of my invention, it4 will the spirit ofthe invention which is indicated in the following claims.

I claim as my:-invention:- c 1. In a gear shifting mechanism, thecombination with a'. gear shift rod, of a motor operativelyconnectedtherewith to move the same in opposite directions from aneutral position, a clutch betweenthe shift rod and motor, asinglecontrol lever for the motor and the clutch, and means forautomatically returning the shift rod toitsneutral positionindependently ofthe motor.`

f2. In a gear shifting mechanism, the combination with a gear shift rod,of a driving pinion operatively connected with said rod, a reversiblevelectric motor connected with saidpinion tol drive the same and the rodiin contrary directions, a clutch between said pinion and motor, andelectrically controlled means for actuating said clutch and separate lmeans for`automatically returning the clutch to its `iiiitial position.i v.

3. In a gear shifting mechanism, the conibination with a reversiblemotor, a shift rod, means operatively connecting said shift rod to themotor comprising a clutch, a magnet controlling said clutch, na sourceof powen `electrically controlled meansfor 4actuating the clutch andholding the saine in predetermined position independently of the motor.

6. In a gear shifting mechanism, the combination with a reversiblemotor, a shift rod., means operatively connecting said shift rod andmotoru comprising a clutch mechanism,-

and means larried by said clutch mechanism for holding the shift rod inits adjusted position after said clutch has been disconnected., Y E

7. In a gear shifting mechanism, the combination with a reversiblemotor, a shaft driven by said motor and a pinion loosely mounted on saidshaft, of a shift rod normally engaging said pinion, a clutch member onsaid shaft to engag'etthe pinion, means for `operating said clutch randmeans for Y automatically disengaging the clutch when the shift rod.hasbeen shifted a predetermined distance.

binat-ion with a motor, a shaft .drivenby said motor and a pinionloosely mounted on said'Ashaft, of a shift rod actuated by said pinion,a clutch, movable on said shaft to engage the pinion, meanscomprising.an electro-magnet to operate said clutch and means 4fer automaticallyreturning the clutch to its position when said magnet is dener- Saidmotor nd a pinion loosely mounted on and a contact device comprising asingle lever controlling the supply of powerto the magnet and to themotor.' I 4. Inra gear shifting mechanism, the combination with areversible motor, a shift rod,

4 means )perativeflyy connecting said shift rod and motor comprising aclutch, and a magnet for actuating the clutch, of a source of power anda switch comprismg a plurality of contacts connected with the armatureof said shaft.;V of a shift rod actuated by said pinion, a` clutchmovable on said shaftto engage the pinion, means comprising anelectro-magnet tooperate said clutch, means for forcing said clutch outof engagement` means on said shift rod to disengage the clutch when theShiftfrod is moved to its predetermined position and means forautomatically returning the clutch to its initial position when saidmagnet is -deenergizedl 10. In a gear shifting mechanism, thecombination with a. reversible motor, a gear shift rod operativelyconnected therewith andmeans on saidshift rod automatically limitingmovement thereof in either direction by said motor and adapted to holdsaid a gear shifting mechanism, the combirod in predetermined position.

y In a gear slnftmgmechamsm, the combmation with a reversible motor,` aplurality4 of shift rods, a clutch mechanism connecting said shift rodsseparately with the motor and a magnet controlling said clutch. of acontrol: device in circuit with saidmotor an'd magnet, said devicecomprising a plurality of fixed contact members and a movable contactmember arranged to permit. movement of the motor in contrary directionswhen eachof said magnets is energized.

12. In a device of they class described, the

combination of a control mechanism, means for actuatlng said controlmechanism, mea-ns operatively connecting said mechanism and saidactuating means, means controlling said connecting means for maintainingthe same normally in inoperative position and y electrically energizedmeans operatively 4 connected to said controlling means for moving andholding. the same in. its operative position. 13.` in a device of theclass described, the l0 combination with a gear shifting mechanism of a,shiftable device designed to be operativelyconnected to the gearshifting mechanism to change the gear combinations, power meansoperatively connected to said shitable device to move the same, andelectromagnetically controlled meansfor locking said device in shiftedposition. 14. In a device of the class described, the combination with asource of electric energy,

420 a reversible motor, a plurality of electromagnets, a switchincluding a plurality of separate contacts connected to the armature ofsaid motor, and to each of said electromagnets and ar single switchlever adapted to engage said contacts tosimultaneously' actuatesaidmotor and one of said electromagnets, and means coactin with saidswitch for automatically breaing the cir'- cuitftosaid motor whilepermitting the electromagnet to remain magnetized.

15. in a gear shifting device, the combination of means adapted to shifta pair of gears into an interengaging operatively Lacasse' i ting'position, a locking device moved by said rod into a locking position andmagnetically controlled means for maintaining 'said device in lockedposition.

18. ln a gear shifting mechanism, the

,combination with a mechanism containing a casing having a gear shiftingrod eXtendmg from the same, of a reversible motor, a

shaft operatively connected to the motor.

shifted in either direction longitudinally.

19. In a gear shifting mechanism, the combination with a power shaft,and gear shifting rods, of a clutch for transmitting the rotary movementof said shaft into rectilinear movement of said rods,. 'resilientconnected position, means constantly actingon said first named Imeansfor. automatically and promptly returning the same to an inoperativeposition,when free of restraint, a reversible motor, magneticallycontrolled means for selectively connecting the motor fio with said irstnamedl 'means to move the same into positionto connect the gears andlocking means carried ,by said Amagnetically controlled means forpositively holding said rst named means in positionl to hold the 45,the'gears in their interengaging operative posltlon.

' 16.V In a gear vshifting device, combination of means including anelectric motor adaptred to shift a pair of gears into an interengagingoperatively connected position, me-

, chamcal .means constantly acting on said,-

first named means or'automatica ing thesame into an inoperativeposition,

y magnetically controlled means for inaugurating the movement of irstnamed means into position to connect the gears,` asingle control switchfor closing the circuit through said motor and .for energizing saidmagnetically controlled means, and means for limitreturnce ,ing themovement of said, first named means. L

17. In a device .of the class described, the

v combination with a gear shifting rod, of

means for moving` said rod into a gear set-v means tending to return theclutch to its initialposition when disengaged from the power shaft andSelective means for moving said clutch into engagement with one of saidrods.

20. lln a gear shifting mechanism, the combination with a power shaftand gear shifting rod, of a clutch for transmitting the rotary movementof said shaft into rectilinear movement of Said rod to shift the sameand automatically actuated means operable after the initial movement ofsaid rod -and automatically actuated means for locking said rod in itsshifted position.

Q1. The combination of a movable member mounted iorreciprocatorymovement and having tWo operative and an inoperative positions, of powermeans for Shifting said member longitudinally in either direction intoone of its operative positions, a locking device having an elementthereofl moved by said member into one of the locking positions andmagnetically actuated -control means for maintaining said member inlocked position.

22. lin' a device of the class described, the i 'combination of areversible electric motor,

a gear shifting rod operatively connected to the movable element of themotor to iii@ efectat will either one or two gear combinations, acontrol switch for selectively controlling the directionof the currentthrough said motor thereby to .control the direction n M. a, poem, S. A.THORNTON.

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